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Unformatted text preview: Cosmic rays and solar flares Draw in the back of your book the life cycle of a star Cosmic rays are fast-moving ionising particles from the Sun. The Earths magnetic field prevents them from reaching us because they would be very harmful Solar flares (bursts of energy from the Sun) interfere with these satellite systems. P2e Solar flares and Cosmic rays You should learn: Cosmic rays Cosmic rays are not really rays at all, they are a stream of particles of ionised atoms. They can range from a single proton to the nucleus of an iron atom-or larger The most common cosmic ray is a alpha particle (3protons and 2 neutrons) Cosmic rays originate in space and are produced form sources such as: The sun Other stars Supernova and their remains Neutron stars and black holes Distant galaxies Cosmic ray particles are travelling at speeds close to that of light and they have a lot of energy The rays interact with the magnetic field of the earth, spiralling around the field lines Producing a concentration of cosmic rays at the north and south poles...
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